Effect of 12 Weeks of Whole-Body Vibration Versus Multi-Component Training in Post-Menopausal Women

The aims of this study were to analyze the effects of two different training protocols-vibratory platform and multi-component training--and to determine what kind of training creates greater adaptations on bone density and isokinetic strength of the knee extensors and the stabilizer muscles of the ankle joint in post-menopausal women. Thirty-eight women (59.8 ± 6.2 years) were randomly assigned to whole-body vibration group (WBVG), multi-component training group (MTG), or a control group (CG). The experimental groups performed incremental training for 12 weeks, three sessions/week. Significant differences were found in total fat mass and total lean mass in the training groups. In addition, both WBVG and MTG showed significant increases in isokinetic strength for knee extensors at 60°·s(-1) and at 270°·s(-1). With respect to the ankle joint, a significant increase for eversion at 60°·s(-1) and inversion at 60°·s(-1) was found in both training groups, and eversion at 120°·s(-1) only in WBVG (p = 0.012). There were no significant differences between WBVG and MTG in knee and ankle strength tests. Therefore, we found significant adaptations to whole-body vibration and multi-component training in the present study. However, the improvements were similar for both groups and we cannot claim that WBVG is better than MTG, or vice versa.